Faith Shipapa

My home country and city is Kenya, Nairobi. I love my country because of its rich heritage and diverse culture. I speak English, Kiswahili and Massai.

My area of study is Civil Engineering. This field, particularly in my country, needs expertise because it is a developing country and I would love to take part in that development.

My hobbies are playing soccer and writing poems. Soccer keeps me fit and relaxed, while poetry has been my best way of expression. After graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering, I would come back to Kenya and take part in road development in rural settings and infrastructure development at large.

I am motivated by the fact that I was selected among many deserving applicants to receive the Botstiber Scholarship. Therefore, it would only be expected of me to fully utilize this once in a lifetime opportunity.

The Botstiber Scholarship is a representation of hope for me. There comes a time in life when you actually need a miracle and in 2017 the Botstiber Scholarship was my miracle. It is a gift that was awarded to my family; my younger sisters got a better education because Botstiber stepped in for me. The Botstiber scholarship is an opportunity to build a foundation and in these three years at Penn State, I have gained a clear understanding of who I am, my passions, my shortcoming, my strengths and love for my country. I hope to someday impact the life of someone as the Botstiber Foundation has mine.